The City of Tulsa is in the implementation phase of the Emmett Till Grant – a three-year, $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in partnership with the Tulsa Police Department, Greenwood Cultural Center and Intermountain Forensics - the laboratory assisting the City with DNA and genealogical analysis for the 1921 Graves Investigation.
The work through the grant is known as the Community Engagement Genealogy Project (CEGP).
June Genealogy Workshops Pre-Registration Now Open
When: June 20-22
Where: 36th St. N. Event Center, 1125 E. 36th St. N., Tulsa, OK, 74106.
Who: Hosted by the City of Tulsa, Greenwood Cultural Center, and Intermountain Forensics
CEGP consists of the following, all of which are underway and planned:
Tulsa Police Department training is being held on genealogy to help the department further understand the Tulsa Race Massacre and historical trauma as it relates to their job and Tulsa’s Black community. The work is specifically helping TPD in its work to solve cold cases with genealogy.
Genetic Genealogy Workshops are occurring across the city. Workshops are hosted at the Greenwood Cultural Center and are led by Alison Wilde of Intermountain Forensics and local genealogists. The workshops aim to introduce participants to genealogy software and resources that will assist them in better understanding their connection to the Tulsa Race Massacre and their own family histories. Subsequent genealogy workshops will be available to the public.
An Exhibit at Greenwood Cultural Center named “Gathering Greenwood” is being designed and will be an interactive exhibit about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, survivors, and descendants. It will house a permanent exhibit that will allow community members to explore and research their own family genealogy with an onsite library. It is expected to be completed in late 2025, with an opening in early 2026. Exhibit components include both an exhibit that stays at Greenwood Cultural Center, and one that will travel. Planning work is underway to determine what the exhibit looks like.
2025 April Genealogy Workshop: In Review
Thirty-nine people attended the April Genealogy Workshop.
Attendees were walked through the identification process for C.L. Daniel - the first Tulsa Race Massacre victim identified through the City's 1921 Graves Investigation - and how DNA is used to confirm findings.
This education included walking through the different types of DNA-autosomal, mitochondrial, y- chromosome and how you inherit what and from whom. One of our genealogists walked through the story of her family.
During the course of the workshops, there were guided lessons on how to research and use resources. All attendees had time for hands-on learning and an additional day was made available for hands-on learning, with genealogists present to help along the way. Everyone left with a workbook to continue research and tools to continue on their own.
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